Chapter 19: tame any beast

The stairs leading up to the twenty-third level, Dante walked up the steps without a single sound, his hood pulled down to hide his eyes. Behind him, Yenna kept her posture low, her tail tucked in to avoid brushing against the walls.

"The system logs are going crazy," Yenna said, "Marcus realized his ten elite guards went dark in less than two minutes. He just sent a direct text order to the floor manager up here. They are unlocking the deep cage."

Dante didn’t stop his movement. "What did they put inside the cage?"

"A giant cave alligator," Yenna said, her ears twitching as she read the data lines on her interface. "It is a mutated reptile with hard scales. The guild keeps it starved on the lower levels to chew up illegal miners. They just flooded its pen with fire fluid to drive it out into our path."

Dante reached the top of the stairs, stepping onto the floor of the twenty-third level. The air here was different. Before they could take steps into the corridor, the system notification come.

12:00 AM.

[System Notification: Midnight reached. You receive 1x Free Daily Spin.]

[The Gachapon wheel is initializing its movement...]

[Spin Complete!]

[You got: ’Rusty Iron Collar’ (F-Rank Trash Monster Taming Item).]

- Description: A broken metal neck band. Gives a 1% chance to tame a common dog.

A small hoop of iron appeared in the air and dropped into Dante’s palm. It was total garbage.

But a second later—

[System 2: 100x Sovereign Multiplier Triggered!]

[’Rusty Iron Collar’ (F-Rank) ---> Multiplied by 100x!]

[Calculating Highest Transformation... Complete!]

[You got SSS-Rank Divine Relic: ’The Sovereign’s Binding Chain’ (Bound).]

- Description: A chain forged from the bones of an ancient dragon.

- Effect 1: ’Absolute Obedience’ - Instantly tames any beast or reptile monster below the Calamity tier, forcing it into your service without a mana cost.

- Effect 2: ’Attribute Integration’ - You receive 20% of the tamed beast’s raw strength and defense stats added directly to your own baseline attributes.

The piece of rusty iron in Dante’s hand melted before solidifying into a dark collar made of interlocking links that hummed with a quiet, freezing pressure. Dante didn’t even have time to slide the chain into his pocket before the walls at the end of the passage exploded.

Giant blocks of grey mineral ore blew outward, and a massive shape burst into the corridor. It was the mutated alligator. The reptile was twelve meters long, its entire back covered in layered, jagged scales that looked like dark obsidian armor. Its jaws were lined with rows of yellow teeth, and its skin was dripping with burning fire fluid that hissed as it hit the floor.

The beast let out a rumbling growl that made the entire hallway vibrate. Its eyes locked onto Dante, and it charged, its tail smashing against the walls as its teeth snapped open to bite him in half.

"Zero, get back!" Yenna yelled aloud, her claws extending instinctively as her cat ears pinned back in pure survival panic.

Dante didn’t step back. He didn’t even take his left hand out of his pocket. He just stood his ground on the floor, watching the massive reptile sprint toward him.

When the beast was exactly three feet away, its jaws open to crush his torso, Dante simply held out his right hand, holding the dark black chain.

"Down," Dante said. His voice was completely quiet, but it carried an unblockable weight.

The moment the command left his mouth, the Sovereign’s Binding Chain vanished from his fingers, reappearing instantly around the thick neck of the alligator.

The massive reptile stopped its movement so fast its tail slid across the floor, leaving a deep groove in the wood. The burning fire fluid on its scales instantly went cold and snuffed out. The wild, angry light in its yellow eyes vanished, replaced by an absolute, hollow submission.

The twelve-meter monster dropped its head onto the ground, resting its snout right against Dante’s weightless black boots like a beaten dog.

[System Notification: Hostile target has been perfectly bound.]

[Unique Feature: Attribute Integration activated.]

[Tamed Beast: Mutated Cave Alligator (Elite Tier).]

[You have permanently absorbed 20% of the target’s baseline stats.]

[You permanently gained: +35 Strength, +50 Defense.]

Dante felt a crushing surge of physical energy fill his body. His chest expanded slightly, his muscles tightening like iron under his hoodie as his defense stats shot through the ceiling. He looked down at the massive reptile resting at his feet.

"Yenna," Dante said, "Get on its back. We aren’t walking up the next few floors."

Yenna stared at the giant alligator, her mouth open, her tail twitching in complete shock. "You... you just tamed Marcus’s execution beast by speaking one word?"

"Marcus wanted to use this thing to slow me down," Dante said, stepping onto the monster’s head and walking up to its back. "Instead, he just gave us a faster ride up the stairs."

He looked toward the entrance to Floor 24.

"Let’s go," Dante commanded the beast.

The massive alligator let out a low rumble, its giant legs moving forward with rapid steps, smashing through the remaining guild barricades as it carried them straight toward the upper levels.